Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of Age

Background: Academic performance does not depend solely on cognitive abilities, but also depends on socioemotional processes. Emotional experiences may be associated with school performance; however, their effects are often inconsistent, suggesting the need to examine mediating mechanisms such as se...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Roxana Bernal Rojas, David Quispe-Sanca, Gutember Villigran Peralta-Eugenio, Wilter C. Morales-García, Liset Z. Sairitupa-Sanchez
Formato: Artículo
Lenguaje:inglés
Publicado: 2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Enlace permanente (DOI o Handle)
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1881700518101778432
author Roxana Bernal Rojas
David Quispe-Sanca
Gutember Villigran Peralta-Eugenio
Wilter C. Morales-García
Liset Z. Sairitupa-Sanchez
author_browse David Quispe-Sanca
Gutember Villigran Peralta-Eugenio
Liset Z. Sairitupa-Sanchez
Roxana Bernal Rojas
Wilter C. Morales-García
author_facet Roxana Bernal Rojas
David Quispe-Sanca
Gutember Villigran Peralta-Eugenio
Wilter C. Morales-García
Liset Z. Sairitupa-Sanchez
author_sort Roxana Bernal Rojas
collection Producción científica
description Background: Academic performance does not depend solely on cognitive abilities, but also depends on socioemotional processes. Emotional experiences may be associated with school performance; however, their effects are often inconsistent, suggesting the need to examine mediating mechanisms such as self-esteem and developmental conditions such as age. Objective: We aimed to analyze the association between positive and negative emotional experiences and academic performance in school students, assessing the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating effect of age. Methods: A cross-sectional explanatory study was conducted with 325 students from Lima, Peru (149 boys and 176 girls). Emotional experiences were assessed using the PANAS-N, self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and academic performance with final grades in Communication and Mathematics. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), with bootstrapping based on 10,000 subsamples. Results: Positive emotional experiences were positively associated with self-esteem (β = 0.434, p < 0.001) and academic performance (β = 0.272, p < 0.001). Negative emotional experiences were negatively associated with self-esteem (β = −0.489, p < 0.001) but showed no significant direct association with academic performance (β = −0.005, p > 0.05). Self-esteem was positively associated with academic performance (β = 0.114, p = 0.043). The model explained 40.8% of the variance in self-esteem and 11.3% of the variance in academic performance. Age moderated only the association between negative emotional experiences and self-esteem (Δβ = 0.183, p = 0.035). Conclusions: Self-esteem plays a significant mediating role in the association between emotional experiences and academic performance, and this effect is especially relevant during adolescence. The findings suggest that self-worth constitutes a key psychological process for understanding how emotional experiences are linked to school performance.
format Article
id openalex:W7204171336
institution UPeU
language English
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
record_format dspace
spelling openalex:W7204171336Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of AgeRoxana Bernal RojasDavid Quispe-SancaGutember Villigran Peralta-EugenioWilter C. Morales-GarcíaLiset Z. Sairitupa-Sanchezself-esteemacademic performanceemotional experiencepositive emotionsnegative emotionsage as moderatormediationschool studentsadolescentsself-worthEducation, Achievement, and GiftednessEducational Outcomes and InfluencesEarly Childhood Education and DevelopmentBackground: Academic performance does not depend solely on cognitive abilities, but also depends on socioemotional processes. Emotional experiences may be associated with school performance; however, their effects are often inconsistent, suggesting the need to examine mediating mechanisms such as self-esteem and developmental conditions such as age. Objective: We aimed to analyze the association between positive and negative emotional experiences and academic performance in school students, assessing the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating effect of age. Methods: A cross-sectional explanatory study was conducted with 325 students from Lima, Peru (149 boys and 176 girls). Emotional experiences were assessed using the PANAS-N, self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and academic performance with final grades in Communication and Mathematics. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), with bootstrapping based on 10,000 subsamples. Results: Positive emotional experiences were positively associated with self-esteem (β = 0.434, p < 0.001) and academic performance (β = 0.272, p < 0.001). Negative emotional experiences were negatively associated with self-esteem (β = −0.489, p < 0.001) but showed no significant direct association with academic performance (β = −0.005, p > 0.05). Self-esteem was positively associated with academic performance (β = 0.114, p = 0.043). The model explained 40.8% of the variance in self-esteem and 11.3% of the variance in academic performance. Age moderated only the association between negative emotional experiences and self-esteem (Δβ = 0.183, p = 0.035). Conclusions: Self-esteem plays a significant mediating role in the association between emotional experiences and academic performance, and this effect is especially relevant during adolescence. The findings suggest that self-worth constitutes a key psychological process for understanding how emotional experiences are linked to school performance.Articlehttps://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe16090123W7204171336enEuropean Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education2174-81442254-96252026-08-25
spellingShingle self-esteem
academic performance
emotional experience
positive emotions
negative emotions
age as moderator
mediation
school students
adolescents
self-worth
Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
Educational Outcomes and Influences
Early Childhood Education and Development
Roxana Bernal Rojas
David Quispe-Sanca
Gutember Villigran Peralta-Eugenio
Wilter C. Morales-García
Liset Z. Sairitupa-Sanchez
Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of Age
title Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of Age
title_full Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of Age
title_fullStr Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of Age
title_full_unstemmed Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of Age
title_short Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism in the Association Between Emotional Experiences and Academic Performance in School Students: The Moderating Role of Age
title_sort self esteem as a mediating mechanism in the association between emotional experiences and academic performance in school students the moderating role of age
topic self-esteem
academic performance
emotional experience
positive emotions
negative emotions
age as moderator
mediation
school students
adolescents
self-worth
Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
Educational Outcomes and Influences
Early Childhood Education and Development
topic_facet self-esteem
academic performance
emotional experience
positive emotions
negative emotions
age as moderator
mediation
school students
adolescents
self-worth
Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
Educational Outcomes and Influences
Early Childhood Education and Development
url https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe16090123
work_keys_str_mv AT roxanabernalrojas selfesteemasamediatingmechanismintheassociationbetweenemotionalexperiencesandacademicperformanceinschoolstudentsthemoderatingroleofage
AT davidquispesanca selfesteemasamediatingmechanismintheassociationbetweenemotionalexperiencesandacademicperformanceinschoolstudentsthemoderatingroleofage
AT gutembervilligranperaltaeugenio selfesteemasamediatingmechanismintheassociationbetweenemotionalexperiencesandacademicperformanceinschoolstudentsthemoderatingroleofage
AT wiltercmoralesgarcia selfesteemasamediatingmechanismintheassociationbetweenemotionalexperiencesandacademicperformanceinschoolstudentsthemoderatingroleofage
AT lisetzsairitupasanchez selfesteemasamediatingmechanismintheassociationbetweenemotionalexperiencesandacademicperformanceinschoolstudentsthemoderatingroleofage